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Tag Archives: c-section

So, writing blog posts with a newborn is like, hard. It takes me days , ahem, weeks to finish a post – I start it one day, and sit down and write a bit here and there, upload pictures, and edit during bits of naptime. Ya know, when I’m not cleaning up our house, doing never-ending laundry, hosting visitors or taking her visiting, or simply staring at her and quietly crying from sheer joy. You know, the usual.

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

I spent HOURS researching what to pack for the hospital. I read so. many. blog posts. I polled friends who had delivered babies recently. I developed one list for a natural birth, then when I found out I would have to deliver by C section, I developed another list for that. Normally I don’t stress about packing for anything, but this was one event I wanted to be sure I was prepared for in every sense of the word. I knew I would want to share the list here, because I figured I would need to write it down for my own friends, and then also because, like reading birth stories, packing for the hospital and hearing what others packed calmed some of my jitters prior to delivery. If I can contribute to calming anyone else’s nerves before D-Day, I want to do just that. So belatedly, here’s what I packed, what I used, and what I didn’t, with some commentary along the way.

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

Packing Your Bag for a C-Section Delivery

In my Hospital Bag…

…for Mama-to-be:

ID and Insurance Information – I kept this in a folder, along with paperwork for my insurance and short-term disability policy. You’ll have to have the doctors sign off on some of these forms.

High Quality Paper for Hand and Footprints – I brought two sheets: one for a hand print and one for a footprint. I also brought the page out of her baby book for the same purpose. Ask the nurses to do these hand and footprints for you when they’re doing it for the birth certificate. I kept these papers in my folder for insurance forms, as well.

Nursing Bra – I wore one in to the hospital and then had it in case I needed/wanted it, but I never ended up using it. I bought these two nursing bras on Amazon and still love them.

Soft Drawstring Pajama Pants to go with those nursing tanks. A friend who had a C section gave me the tip to get them in a size larger than you’d normally wear to keep things loose around that incision. My advice is to treat yourself to nice ones that are super soft, because you will live in them for a while. I am still loving my Eberjey Hailey pants (via Amazon). SO SOFT – they’re a dream.

Slippers and Shoes – Whatever shoes you bring, you’ll want them to be slip-on shoes. There will be no bending over for you, Mama. I packed these slipper socks (and wore them – don’t judge), my Minnetonka slippers (never wore them) and my Birkenstock slides. They were perfect because I could slide them on, but they were very supportive. The more you get around and walk in the hospital after you’re cleared to do so, the better… but the walking is hard. Good footwear helps.

Toiletries – This is a personal decision as to how much to take, but here are some of the essentials I brought:

Makeup – I didn’t take my full arsenal (which isn’t much anyway) – just foundation, blush, eyeshadow and mascara – make sure it’s waterproof! You’ll be having lots of waterworks.

Burt’s Bees Face Wipes – there will be lots of times you’ll want to wash your face, but won’t want to get out of bed. Pack these, no matter what.

Shower Cap – got to protect that blowout!

Throw Blanket – if you don’t use it (which you probably will), your husband will want it on the couch/chair/whatever.

Pillow – you’ll want your own pillows.

Colored Pillowcases for Pillows – that way they won’t get confused with the hospital’s linens and you’ll make it home with your pillows and pillowcases.

Phone Charger with Extra Long Cord

Gifts for Nurses – I did a big basket full of candy with a little sign hanging from the basket. A friend of mine brought the nurses donuts from a local place. It can’t hurt to have your nurses love you, right?

Robe – This is a must-have. And you’ll want to make sure it’s a thin, comfortable robe. A dear friend Sara gave me a really nice Love Ophelia robe as a bridesmaid gift a couple of years ago and I’ve been wearing it non-stop. I even wore it as a nightgown one night in the hospital. You will wear it over nursing tanks, alone, or as a nursing cover. It’s hands-down one of the things I used the most in the hospital.

Hair Clip/ Hair Ties

Colace– NOTE: this is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Bring it with you. Do not rely on the hospital to provide it for you. Ask the nurses when you can start taking it. You’ll thank me later. PS This is mandatory whether you have a natural delivery or a C-section. Take it early and take it often! You can’t overdose on colase. But you will think you’re dying when you go to the bathroom the first (and second, and third) time.

Boppy Nursing Pillow – Most people use this when nursing and find it essential in the hospital, but I never really started using it for nursing and never really have since. I consider nursing my arm workout, and the boppy just seems to get in my way most of the time anyway. If you’re a first-time mom, I’d pack it so you can try nursing both with and without it. You’ll be glad you did if you prefer to use it!

Snacks, Gingerale, Bottled Water – I packed Gingerales and some natural almonds and dried fruit. Labor/surgery/breastfeeding/etc. all make you very hungry, so be sure to have some healthy snacks. I get nauseated from pain medicine very easily, so I was really glad to have the Gingerale to sip on once I was allowed to do so. If I had had a natural birth, I would have added Gatoraid to that cooler, too!

Yoga Pants – Another friend told me that tighter clothes felt better to her because it felt like it was holding her back together, so I brought a pair of those, too. It’s good to have options.

Chapstick – Your lips get so dry in the hospital.

Bose Soundlink Speaker – I was SO glad we had this. It was nice to have relaxing music playing in the background during the day, and we could listen to the news via my NPR app on my phone in the mornings, which was great, too. We aren’t big TV people, so we never even turned ours on.

Gas-X Strips – You do NOT want gas when you’ve had a C-section, and you will want to get rid of the gas they got into you when doing surgery. These help!

Traditional Medicinals Mother’s Milk Tea – This served two purposes for me: it gave me something hot and cozy to sip on while in the hospital (I got pretty hooked on hot tea while pregnant) which was comforting on its own, but I swear it helped my milk come in much faster (mine came in the day we check out of the hospital after only a two night stay!). My nurse would bring two cups of hot water to me at a time, so I was having two cups every time. I definitely recommend bringing this to sip on throughout the day if you’re planning on trying to breastfeed.

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

…for Baby:

Coming Home Outfit

Soft, Snap-up Gowns – Not really necessary, as diapers and shirts and blankets are provided by the hospital, but I wanted to use our super soft Kissy Kissy convertible gowns on that super soft baby skin. You’ll be super bad at putting clothes on a baby at first, plus brand new babes are so wobbly and fragile-seeming, so I recommend snaps instead of gowns that pull over their head.

Swaddle Blankets – the softer, bamboo ones are even better than the muslin ones. Get your nurses to teach you to swaddle. I might have to get Wheat to help me show y’all how our dear, sweet, wonderful Nurse Betty taught us to swaddle. It was a game-changer! And you can use the swaddle blankets as baby blankets, nursing covers, burp cloths, etc. etc. etc. You can never have enough! Pack at least 3 for the hospital.

Newborn Pacifier – If you want, but they’ll provide you one if they think you need one or if you ask for one! Don’t pack a “0-3 Month” size one though – they’re too big! Or at least, they were for our girl. She’s just now using that size instead of the newborn size.

Burp Cloth – Pack a couple plain cloth diapers if you’d rather use them for a burp cloth.

Baby Book and Pen – There will be things you want to record while you’re in the hospital, so be sure to bring a pen with it.

Notebook – You’ll need to record bowel movements, urination, and feeding times somewhere, and a notebook is nice to have. I brought a nice one from The Bookshelf, and wrote down who came to visit, who sent flowers, who brought gifts and what they were, etc. in addition to the other stuff. Since we came home, I’ve continued to record all the gifts Adella Grace has received in that notebook, as well as any other notes I want to include. I think she’ll appreciate seeing it all one day.

Baby Wipes – some hospitals provide these, some provide dry wipes that you have to wet in the sink yourself. Bring a pack of wipes just in case yours is the latter (local folks: Bainbridge Memorial provides the wet wipes… Archbold in Thomasville provides the dry wipes!)

Neosporin (for boy babies/circumcision)

Rubbing Alcohol – My Dad, the good doctor, recommends using rubbing alcohol on the umbilical stump to help dry it up, although some doctors/hospitals no longer recommend doing so or think that it is necessary, but it can’t hurt.

Diaper Cream – Bring whatever you want to use, or better yet, a couple different kinds. Buttpaste doesn’t work as well on AG (she has crazy sensitive skin like her Mama). We love Aquaphor Baby Healing Ointment and use it at every single diaper change.

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

…for Daddy:

Twin-Size Air Mattress – A friend told us to bring this, we didn’t, and Wheat ended up leaving the hospital to go buy one. We had room for it, and it was so much more comfortable than the couch/bed/thing in our room. In fact, it was probably more comfortable than my hospital bed. We got one with a built in motor, so every morning Wheat just deflated it and packed it away in the corner of the room. It was worth every penny.

Clothes/Pajamas and Toiletries for 2 to 3 nights (We lived close enough that Wheat went home every day to shower and change).

Cash for vending machines (if your hospital doesn’t take debit cards at the cafeteria or something, good to have on hand just in case).

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

Things I packed that I did not use once:

Nursing Cover – I’ve used mine since, of course, but you lose all shame once you hit the hospital, and anyway, you’re just trying to get the hang of breastfeeding and figure your new little one out. Nursing covers can be a bit awkward for a seasoned pro (or a somewhat seasoned mom of a 7-week old) so don’t bother bringing it.

Nursing Pads – I packed these, and my milk did come in the day we left the hospital, but unless you’re a second-time nursing mama, you probably won’t need these in the hospital. You may, however, want to pack some Soothies gel pads for those boobies. I was lucky and didn’t need them, but it’s better safe than sorry.

Maxi Pads – you’ll have access to the finest, largest boats of pads available while you’re in the hospital. Leave yours at home – you’ll need them there. Enjoy the mesh panties while you can… and be SURE to steal some to take home. A friend gave me the tip that although they’re disposable, you can wash them and re-use them. I’m currently wishing I had stolen more. They let your incision breathe so much better than the regular grannie panties you’ll need later. (That’s not a joke – be sure you’ve got those on deck at home, too.)

Flip Flops for the Shower – Most people consider this essential for their hospital stay, but after my C-section, the first time they helped me up to go to the bathroom and take a shower… I did not care ONE BIT about what was going on with my feet. That may seem gross, but our hospital room was mopped every single day and looked clean to me. Again, you’ve just been cut open… my feet were the absolute least of my worries.

Velcro-type Swaddlers – I brought one to the hospital but we never used it. We used swaddle blankets for the first 3 or 4 weeks – they were softer and easier for us to manage. Once AG seemed a little sturdier, we switched.

photo by Alicia Osborne Photography

I plan on doing a post on everything that has become something I wouldn’t want to do without since we’ve been home for over 6 weeks, but no promises on when I’ll get it written. :) Life with a newborn is the very best, but the blog has definitely taken a back seat to life. Follow me on snapchat (@nataliekirbo) or Instagram (@oystersandpearls) for peeks into this so-sweet season of life!

PS all photos by Alicia Osborne Photography. Alicia is a friend and an amazing photographer, and I’m so grateful for these images!

PPS There are no affiliate links in this post, meaning if you click through and buy something, I don’t earn a darn thing. But I wouldn’t mind it a bit if you pinned this post on Pinterest – after all, sharing is caring! :)